“It’s not the injury, it’s really just how ready Conor is,” he said. “How fully fit he is because the injury itself has gone really well, but it is tough to come back into a game of that magnitude though. It is highly unlikely he will be involved, but as I said, I will talk to him.”

However any hopes the Lions nine would be named in Saturday’s XV - as predicted by All Blacks coach Steve Hansen - were dashed on Monday morning, and Murray now won’t be joining his international teammates.

Ireland will also be without Robbie Henshaw, who missed the win over Argentina after injuring his hamstring in the warm-up.

Henshaw, who was replaced by Will Addison against Los Pumas, will play no further part in the autumn series - meaning Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose are likely to start in midfield against New Zealand.

25-year-old Henshaw has had mixed fortunes against the All Blacks, scoring the key try in Ireland’s famous win in Chicago in 2016, before being stretchered off with a head injury in Dublin weeks later.

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